Injuries put damper on CSU's victory

Nov. 11, 2012

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CSU linebacker Shaquil Barrett after win over UNLV: Colorado State linebacker Shaquil Barrett talks to the media after the Rams'33-11 win over UNLV (Video by Kelly Lyell/The Coloradoan).

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Junior tackle Jared Biard had to be helped off the field with an injury on CSU’s second offensive possession.

Tight end Austin Gillmore went down a few minutes later, suffering an injury on the extra-point kick after the first Colorado State University touchdown.

Starting linebackers James Skelton, Shaquil Barrett and Aaron Davis and receiver Thomas Coffman also had to be helped off the field with injuries.

As thrilled as the Rams were to get their third win of the season Saturday night, beating UNLV 33-11, there was a heavy price to pay.

Gillmore wasn’t out for long after suffering his injury, but the other banged-up Rams didn’t return. CSU coach Jim McElwain said afterward that he didn’t know the severity of any of the injuries, but one sideline observer said he was told that Skelton broke an ankle.

“It’s tough when you see them,” Barrett said of the injuries. “First, you’ve got to find out if it’s a serious injury or not, then once you hear that it’s not that bad and they can come back next week, it’s like a weight’s been lifted off your shoulder.

“But when I saw AD (Davis) go down, I thought, ‘Oh, man,’ because Skelly went down already, then I went down, and then AD went down.”

Another linebacker, Davis Burl, had been ruled out before the game with an ankle sprain.

THIRD TD FOR BARRETT – Barrett scored his third touchdown in two seasons at CSU when he intercepted a pass and ran it back 49 yards to give the Rams an early 7-0 lead. Barrett, a junior, also returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown last year in the Rams’ 38-35 loss at UNLV, and he ran a fumble back 15 yards for a touchdown last season in a 35-34 double-overtime win at Utah State.

SHARING THE WEALTH – With Barrett and cornerback Shaq Bell scoring their first touchdowns of the season, the Rams set a school record with 18 players scoring touchdowns in a season. The old record was 16.

LINE SHIFT – With junior guard Jordan Gragert sidelined with an ankle sprain, the Rams once again had to take advantage of the versatility of sophomore Ty Sambrailo on the offensive line. Sambrailo started in Gragert’s usual spot at right guard, then moved to right tackle after Biard went down with a “lower extremity” injury early in the game. Sophomore Mason Myers, the backup center, came in to play right guard for the remainder of the game.

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Sambrailo has started at games this season at right tackle and both guard spots.

“You can’t put a pricetag on him, because he’s that utility guy; he can play literally every position,” Biard had said after a practice earlier in the week.

POUDRE GRAD MAKES DEBUT – Tackle Sam Carlson, a redshirt freshman out of Poudre High School in Fort Collins, saw his first action on the game’s final two plays.

LOCKER-ROOM LEAD – CSU took a lead into the locker room at halftime for just the second time this season. The Rams led Hawaii 28-21 in an Oct. 27 game they went on to win 42-27.

The 24-point halftime lead was CSU’s largest since taking a 28-0 lead in the first half of a Sept. 10, 2011, game against Northern Colorado that the Rams won 33-14.

CAREER-BEST – CSU kicker Jared Roberts, a sophomore, made a career-best 49-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the first half to give the Rams a 24-0 halftime lead. Roberts’ previous best was a 48-yarder in the season-opener against the University of Colorado.

Roberts later added a 32-yarder in the third quarter to give the Rams a 27-0 lead and improve to 8 of 9 this season. He missed a point-after touchdown kick, though, after the final CSU touchdown to slip to 24 of 26 on PATs.

NEXT UP – CSU hits the road for the final time this season for a 1:30 p.m. game Saturday at Boise State. UNLV hosts Wyoming in a 2 p.m. game Saturday.